News From Native California Volume 31, Issue 3 - Page 47

Bear River in Danger
By Clyde Prout
Growing up, I didn’t have a concept of what home was
or what it really meant. I remember when I was young my
grandmother (koto), Lola (Gilbert) Prout, did an article with
the Colfax Record (a small local newspaper) about “coming
home.” At the time, I didn’t understand what she meant. We
had a house and a television, but it wasn’t until I was older
that I began to understand what she truly meant by “home.”
In recent times, and with many of my older family and
elders gone, I have felt a need to continue fighting to protect
our history, culture, and traditions. Currently there is a pro-
posed dam project, the Centennial Dam, that threatens one
of our last remaining cultural territories.
The proposed dam would sit on what is currently the Bear
River, which is rich with the culture of the Nisenan Maidu.
My family today descends from the surviving Nisenan fami-
lies of Colfax. Prout is a pioneering family name in the City
of Colfax. My family for generations has strived and lived in
Colfax, with my great-great-grandmother Jane Prout listing
her father, grandfather, and uncles as headmen in various vil-
lages in the Colfax area. Some of these sites were listed on or
near the Bear River.
For generations we have used the Bear River for our
ceremonies, gathering sites, educational opportunities, and
other cultural purposes. If the dam were to be built, it would
wipe away so much of what little we have left. So much of
our culture was wiped away through the Gold Rush, the
Indian boarding schools, historical trauma, and the loss of
our elders.
When I heard of the dam proposal and what could hap-
pen, a huge part of me felt like someone was invading and
taking my home; it was like someone was telling me I can’t
go home. It was in that moment that what my grandmother
said about home made sense. It wasn’t just a physical house
that made you feel home, but a place, an area, a territory
that has been part of your life and your family history for
generations.
The Bear River is very much my home, as well as my
ancestors who came before me and the generations that
will come after. My family continues to practice our tradi-
tions here and will continue to do so. We will also do what
we must to protect what little we have left. The one thing
I love about my family is that we are resilient, and one
thing the Nisenan know how to do is survive.
Photos courtesy
of Clyde Prout.
SPR IN G 2 018 ▼ 45